Early Sunsets over Hogwartsville
by SerpentTongueSorceror
Summary: Severus and Hermione live in an apocalyptic world occupied by the undead when they take shelter at Hogwarts. Can Severus' strength prevail or will Hermione walk the Earth forever? Oneshot for Dear. Dark. Destiny.'s "Can you write a romance?" Challenge


A/N: This is the result of some spare time on my hands, my favorite My Chemical Romance song (Early Sunsets Over Monroeville), and a Resident Evil/ HP hybrid that's been on my mind for a while. I think it came together fairly well for Dear. Dark. Destiny.'s 2nd annual "Can you write a romance?" Challenge.

Enjoy your read, this is…

…Early Sunsets Over Hogwartsville

If there was one thing Hogwarts could pride itself of, it would be its beauty. A picturesque castle, lush, green, grounds and forest, all framed by magnificent gates. These very gates provided a view that left many staring in awe.

The sunset was beautiful, tonight in particular.

Two people, cloaks billowing from their positions watching this sunset, soaked in the view while enjoying each other's company.

_And our memories defeat us..._

They knew they should run. Run to the safety of the castle, run fast, run far.

But they couldn't. As the walking cadavers approached, they could do nothing but remember. How they first met, teacher and student, how they fought side by side, how they reunited, members of the same staff.

_And I'll end this direst_

He held her protectively. "We can't stay here any longer."

She turned a worldly calm about her that didn't seem to fit their situation. "I know," she whispered.

_But does anyone notice?_

_But does anyone care?_

The ministry didn't listen. They were after power, and this was the cost. The price they payed for their fight against evil. They were cursed with life after the ministry's colossal fuck up. The living dead are NOT a weapon and magic has restrictions for a reason.

Sadly it took an apocalypse for the ministry to understand this.

Run they did, straight into the castle, the corpses following at the speed of one who needs no oxygen and so never ran out of breath. It's a shame Harry wasn't there, the power he put out would've made for a decent shield against so many.

But Snape had no such option and it shamed him to know his limitations, and that he couldn't protect his Shakespearean queen. They navigated the twists and turns of Hogwarts like the veterans they were, losing many of the ministry's experiments, the terrifying cadavers they unleashed upon an undeserving world.

Or maybe they did deserve this fate. It was a shitty world, zombies or no zombies, and maybe the God muggles spoke of decided a flood was much too barbaric for a second go at his creations.

"Ahh!" Came a scream from a small way behind him. Severus swore loudly as he ran back in that direction, angry at his own failure to forget that Hermione was already injured from saving him earlier, her arm was wrapped in a ripped shirt to cover a large chunk missing when she got too close to one of these wretched mockeries of the human beings they once were.

"Incendio maxima!"

Flames surrounded Hermione and she conducted the artistic fire, shearing through the ranks of mutations. Severus was enthralled by the beauty of her power until he could see it dying out.

She was falling quickly and she knew it. Her flames were disappearing and she was being overwhelmed again when she saw the dissipating flames take form once more, styling themselves into a whip that efficiently beheaded the remaining bodies.

She smiled at her savior, in more ways than one.

_And if I had the guts to put this to your head_

_But would anything matter if you're already dead?_

_And should I be shocked now by the last thing you said?_

His love smiled at him, and he felt his heart smile back. The sun shone once more despite the long gone sunset. That happiness soon changed to cold fear as when she began to cough blood viciously.

_Before I pull this trigger_

_Your eyes vacant and stained_

The rush to the hospital wing was nothing for the former death eater spy, taking no more than 5 minutes, impressive for a run across a castle, yet it took forever for the man in love. He went straight to the potions cabinet, taking down 5-6 bottles of potions that would slow down the effects, maybe he could make a cure in that time.

Those eyes glued his feet to his spot, he didn't need to announce his plans, she knew his very essence as the holder of his heart and soul. Needlessly, she said, "Stay, please," as if his mind had a choice in the matter once his heart took over. He placed himself down in bed by her side as minutes ticked by.

She finally broke the silence. "You know what you have to do right?"

And hearing it out loud broke his heart into a million nondescript shards of frozen teardrops that soon melted and ran down his face. He shook his head, refusing to speak, kissing her lips desperately as if to reject the fact with his affections.

"I love you Severus Snape, and I want you to know that."

_And in saying you loved me_

_Make things harder at best_

_And these words changing nothing_

_As your body remains _

He broke down and cried as she pulled his wand from his robes. She shot a shield at the door as it seemed the cadavers had caught up.

Cadaver. She taught him that word.

It was her way of clinically disassociating these cruel reanimations from the people they once were. They were, after all, an experiment gone wrong when the

Department of Mysteries was taken over by a mysterious muggle organization that convinced the ministry that bio-weapons were the best way to wage war.

They were right. And the after effects were more than anyone could have foreseen, even those that disagreed like Hermione and Severus. But maybe Harry had seen it. He was the first to fight back against this Umbrella Corporation gaining any power in magical Britain.

This of course led to him being the first targeted to death. He lasted admirably long, longer than his country, and died well, defending his friends from a rather large mutation, strong with, of all things, a rocket launcher. Still, Harry managed to take him and a whole small army of the regular corpses with him in what had to be an awe inspiring display of power.

His thoughts were distracted as Hermione began to cough blood once again. There was nothing he could do and he knew it. Her shaking hands pushed his wand back into his own hands that had their own slight tremors. He was not an emotional man by any stretch of the imagination, but this was taxing, a burden no one should ever have to take.

"Do it."

She did not command, nor did she suggest. As a matter of fact, how she remained so calm as she changed into one of them amazed him, as did everything else about her. How she grew from a snotty little bookworm that got in too much trouble, to a beautiful young lady that was much too intelligent, much too intuitive, much too good, especially for him. But he wouldn't have it any other way, except for this ending scene of her life. It would hurt far too much to be the one to do it, but could Severus Snape be so selfish as to let Hermione Gr-Snape's body be turned into one of those things that ended the world?

_And there's no room in this hell_

_There's no room in the next_

_But does anyone notice there's a corpse in this bed?_

Read and Review,

SerpentTongueSorceror


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